Chapter 11
After Dohun left and both Ihak and Iljun had gone to work, Seonju carefully crossed over to the annex.
Sehun, who hadn’t left for work yet, was already there, having arrived first.
Sehun was pacing back and forth restlessly, and both of them looked pale.
They checked several times to see if anyone was outside before cautiously beginning their conversation.
“What on earth is going on? Why is Dohun suddenly marrying the daughter of Heavens Food?”
“That’s exactly what I’m wondering too. What could his scheme possibly be?”
“You don’t think he… found out about that matter? That Dohun is as cunning as a fox, after all.”
Seonju seethed, remembering Dohun, who always made her nervous while smiling. He was a fox like no other, never revealing his own hand while easily reading Seonju’s. That’s why being around Dohun made her even more tense and anxious.
This time too, he undoubtedly had some scheme. If it was a coincidence, it was a truly baffling one.
“Even if he did notice, he wouldn’t show it at all. And the fact that he’s going through with the marriage instead of confronting me directly for blackmail… As you said, he might have another scheme.”
“Then what should we do? We have to stop this marriage, but your grandfather always ignores anything I say.”
Thinking of Ihak made Seonju even angrier. Even if she was just a concubine, it had been 20 years since she entered this household and managed its affairs. Being constantly ignored by her father-in-law was undeniably frustrating.
“No. We can’t stop the marriage against Grandfather’s stubborn will, and if we keep objecting, it will look suspicious.”
Sehun shared his thoughts. Thinking about it, Sehun seemed right, so Seonju also nodded.
“Then what do you plan to do?”
“First, we urgently need to find out if the two are truly in love or not. If not, then he definitely has an ulterior motive. And even if, unbelievably… they are marrying because they genuinely like each other, we can always use some method after the marriage to make the woman demand a divorce first.”
“Divorce?”
“Yes. While we can’t find a weakness in your stepson regarding work, his personal life offers plenty to exploit. They might call it love, but if she sees even half of the behavior her father-in-law displays, it would be more than enough to kill any affection.”
Sehun looked at Seonju with a meaningful smile.
For a moment, Seonju felt a chill run down her spine. He was her son, but she hadn’t realized he could be this terrifyingly meticulous.
Divorce?
Well, getting divorced could be more damaging to Dohun than not marrying at all.
Especially if it was due to his personal life, it would easily become fodder for gossipmongers.
Thinking that, this marriage of Dohun’s might not be such a bad thing for them after all.
“So, Mother, for now, just humor Grandfather and help with the wedding preparations properly. So no one can later criticize you. And if you happen to meet your future daughter-in-law, observe her carefully. I’ll look into things on my end. If it’s a marriage with an ulterior motive, it will show eventually.”
“Alright.”
Seonju agreed with Sehun’s resolute words.
Since Ihak had given the okay, this marriage was going to happen regardless. In that case, whatever scheme was at play, they had to see it through to the end after the wedding.
Sehun seemed to fully understand that, which somewhat put Seonju’s mind at ease.
< Jin Studio >
Eunha took a deep breath in front of the neat Gothic-style sign. It seemed closed for business as it was late evening, but fortunately, light was still leaking from inside.
‘He hasn’t left work yet. Thank goodness.’
This was the photo studio run by Seongwu.
Seongwu was a photographer; they had become friends after he randomly asked her to model for him when they met in high school.
Honestly, she still found it hard to believe that he was friends with Dohun.
“Ahjussi, I’m here.”
Eunha carefully opened the door. The bell attached to the door chimed cheerfully, making her voice rise a little unintentionally.
She wondered if she had been too loud, but Seongwu turned and looked at her happily.
“Not ‘Ahjussi,’ but ‘Oppa’.”
He never failed to live up to expectations. Despite her sudden appearance, he cheerfully corrected her greeting.
“Ah, right. You told me to call you Oppa.”
Eunha repeated the word ‘Oppa’ as if practicing the term that never quite felt natural, and approached Seongwu, who was in front of his computer. He seemed to be selecting the final shots from the photos taken during the day.
“Are you very busy?”
“No, now that our Eunha is here, I’m not busy at all.”
Seongwu quickly stopped his work and got up from his seat. Eunha smiled, her eyes curving nicely. She then held up a plastic bag she was carrying.
“I brought some food. Would you like to eat together?”
“What? You haven’t had dinner yet?”
“Um… Yeah.”
Judging that she couldn’t lie to Seongwu, Eunha nodded. Seongwu scrutinized her face and continued.
“Now that you mention it, you look like you’ve lost some weight.”
“No, I haven’t lost weight.”
Although she denied it, it seemed true, so Eunha quickly turned her head to avoid Seongwu’s gaze.
It was true that she had been tired from staying at the hospital lately and hadn’t been eating well.
Eunha had been staying at the hospital almost constantly these days, thinking that once she got married, she wouldn’t be able to be by her father’s side as often.
It was also a way to escape Chansuk, who was overly interested in her marriage to Dohun.
Since that day at Seolhyang, Chansuk had been following Eunha around, asking repeatedly about her relationship with Dohun. She didn’t hesitate to ask embarrassing questions, like whether it was just a verbal promise or if they were a confirmed couple who had even slept together.
Just thinking about it made her head throb, and her expression automatically soured.
“Well, you’re not one to honestly admit it even if you have lost weight, Yeo Eunha. Okay, let’s eat first. What is it?”
“Tteokbokki and sundae.”
“You, your tastes are so consistent.”
They had first met in their first year of high school, so it had been eight years now. Even subtracting the time they were apart when Eunha went to study in the US, they had known each other for nearly four years, so they knew more about each other than they didn’t.
Seongwu, of course, knew Eunha’s eating habits well. She still loved the Korean street food she’d liked since high school. If she had eaten it consistently, her tastes might have changed, but not being able to eat it during her years in the US had made her crave it even more.
“Is it bad if my tastes stay the same?” Eunha added, pretending it was a joke as she placed the sundae and tteokbokki on the table.
“Oh my, aren’t you something?”
Seongwu looked at her fondly. Perhaps because he’d known her since she was young, even at twenty-five, Eunha still seemed like a baby to him. Just watching her eat made him feel full.
“Ahjuss— I mean, Oppa, why aren’t you eating?”
“I am eating.”
Seongwu took a bite, watching her with curiosity-filled eyes.
“What is it?”
“I think it’s time for you to tell me now.”
“Tell you what…?”
“About meeting Choi Dohun. You still haven’t told me anything about what that was all about.”
“Ah…!”
At the sudden mention of Dohun’s name, Eunha swallowed the tteokbokki in her mouth whole. Just thinking about him made her chest feel tight and her heart race.
“What, what’s wrong? Drink some water and eat slowly, you’ll choke.”
As Seongwu handed her water, Eunha quickly took it and drank.
“It’s nothing. I was just… suddenly flustered.”
“Did something happen between you two that day?”
Come to think of it, she had been so out of sorts since meeting Dohun that she hadn’t gotten a chance to tell Seongwu about that day. She felt both sorry and grateful that he hadn’t pressed her about it until now.
Where should she even begin?
If she said they decided to get married, he’d be shocked, right?
But she couldn’t not tell him.
If he heard it from Dohun later, he might feel even more betrayed.
Eunha opened and closed her mouth several times before finally speaking.
“I was actually meaning to tell you…”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you see…”
Just as Seongwu looked at her with curious eyes, waiting for her to gather her courage and continue, the sound of the studio door opening, accompanied by the jingling bell, was heard.
Wondering who would come at this hour, past 8 PM, Eunha froze completely the moment she looked towards the entrance.
Dohun was standing there, his expression hardened as he looked at the two of them.
“Choi Dohun. What brings you here?” Seongwu was equally surprised. Eunha quietly put down the chopsticks she was eating with.
Just Dohun’s entrance was enough to make her feel like she might choke.
“Don’t tell me you two planned to meet here?”
“No.” Eunha shook her head. If she had known he would come, she would never have come here for dinner.
In fact, she had left the hospital because her thoughts about Dohun were overwhelming, and she needed some air.
Even though she had proposed the contract marriage, her mind was still a mess, and the night she spent with him was so intense it kept swirling in her head.
Strangely, even his voice asking her if she had eaten at ‘Seolhyang’ came to mind every time she had a meal.
Even though it was probably just a meaningless remark, Eunha’s heart pounded every time she remembered Dohun from that moment.
If she was already this affected, how was she supposed to go through with a contract marriage?
She felt pathetic even to herself.
Tonight, she had sought someone out because she felt so lonely, having eaten all her meals alone at the hospital lately.
Regardless of their gender or relationship, Seongwu was currently the closest and most reliable person to Eunha.
But of all times, Dohun had to show up here now.
She thought she would only see him at the formal meeting with the families, but running into him like this was unbearably awkward.
